The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary Review

 

Addie and her sister Deb have just set off early in the morning, for the long trek to the Scottish countryside for their friend Cherry's wedding. They expect it'll be a fun road trip, (even if they are giving a lift to stranger Rodney who is also going to the wedding) with plenty of time to get to the day before the wedding BBQ. However the plans changes when early into the trip, there is a fender bender with another car. Unfortunately, the two people in the other car are Addie's ex Dylan and his obnoxious best friend Marcus! Both of who she hasn't seen since her relationship ended and who are also going to the wedding. With Marcus and Dylan's car now out of action, they squeeze into Deb's Mini Cooper so they can all reach the wedding on time. But this road trip turns out to be anything but easy!

The plot has two parts: the current timeline of the gang trying to make it to Scotland on time as well as the flashback timeline which starts at Addie and Dylan meeting and works it way up to their breakup. Addie and Deb were working as housekeepers in Cherry's family's French villa, which was being rented out to wealthy families. Dylan ends up staying there and this is where he and Addie start their relationship. This setting, as well as the road trip plotline, makes for a fun summer book. Living in the French countryside and being on a road trip are two very summery things in my mind, so I really enjoyed reading this book, outside in the sun. I liked the road trip element a lot, there's lots of things that go wrong, I also like the tension of two exes being forced to share this small space and reflect on their relationship. Rodney, being a bit of an odd character and also a stranger to the others, adds an element of comedy and bizarreness. I found the flashback plot a lot slower at times, it's obviously needed to show why the couple broke up but it slowed down the road trip plot, which I felt more invested in. Overall I liked the characters though Marcus confused me a bit at times, how nasty he is to Addie felt almost unwarranted. I felt like compared to The Flatshare and The Switch, this book didn't have as much charm and feel good energy. I do think that if you liked Beth O'Leary's other books, then you'll enjoy this one as well though, the road trip portion is super fun

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not required to post a review on here and all thoughts are my own

About Us by Sinéad Moriarty Book Review

'Three Couples. Three Love stories. One Couch'

Today is my day for the About Us by Sinéad Moriarty bookstagram tour. I was very kindly sent a copy by Penguin Books Ireland and decided to share my review on here as well as on Instagram.

About Us follows 3 different couples:

•Ann and Ken are in their 60s and Ann is feeling lost now that all her kids are grown up

•Alice is struggling as a stay at home mother to 4 kids while her husband Niall is resentful that she no longer has the time or energy for him

•Orla is a young teacher in her 20s who is falling hard for one of her pupil’s dad but she is unsure if her past relationship fails means she is unable to be intimate

They each end up on the couch of Maggie, a sex and relationship therapist. Can each couple work through their problems and discover what’s best for them as individuals too?

This book sucked me in, I devoured it in a day or two! I was completely wrapped up in all the stories. Each couple is at a different stage in their lives, all with different relatable sex and relationship problems. It felt balanced, every character has flaws. Mostly told from the women’s point of view (it changed every chapter), we sometimes see it from the men’s point of view too which helped ensure it wasn’t all one sided

I liked how with one couple it was the woman who suggested the therapy but with another couple it was the man, it gave a sense of balance and realism. The progress the characters make in therapy isn’t linear, they hit bumps in the road which is realistic to real life therapy. You can tell it was well researched by the author

Throughout the story, one of the main feelings is hope. You’ll be rooting for the characters to do what’s best for them and find their happiness! The lives of all the characters also slightly overlap outside the therapist’s office which is sometimes I love in novels. For example Orla lives with Ann’s daughter and while they don’t have many scenes together, the scenes they do have are sweet

If you like stories about the complexities of relationships, this is the perfect read to immerse yourself into this summer!

Release date 15th July

This book was sent to me by Penguin Books Ireland for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley Review

Do you like books where people are connected, sometimes without even knowing they are, and how they all impact each other lives? Then this might be the book for you!

Julian Jessop is an eccentric artist in his 70s who is lonely. He writes his story in a green notebook, being open and honest about his life and leaves it in his local cafe. The owner Monica finds the book and is so touched by his story that she decides to reach out to help him. She’s so inspired that she too writes in the notebook and leaves it on a stranger’s table. From there, the book has 6 people who write in it, who all cross each other’s lives and eventually meet in different ways.

It’s a cute uplifting novel, a feel good summery read. I read it very quickly as I was enjoying it so much. The characters are not perfect, they have their flaws and we get to hear what they’re thinking as it rotates the POV for each chapter. It is slightly cheesy and predictable at times but it’s still charming and overall I enjoyed it

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi Review

 

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi packs a punch. Jayne is in college and barely keeping it together, stuck living with a freeloader who isn’t her boyfriend, her only friends are those she parties with and she has an eating disorder she’s in denial about. Despite all this, she’s happy she’s in New York City, at least it’s not Texas. Her successful sister June is also in the city, but the two sisters have been estranged and haven’t spoken in years. Suddenly June contacts Jayne to tell her that she’s sick with uterine cancer. Their lives are slammed back together with this news, which isn’t always easy sailing. But will the sisters be able to help each other through their illnesses?

Jayne is a hot mess, for a number of different reasons, yet I still found her compelling. Sometimes when characters are written like this, as unpredictable and unreliable, it can be over the top. But it felt authentic with Jayne, as more of the story goes on, you can understand how someone would spiral like this. The book is so raw at times, painfully so. The portrayal of an eating disorder is brutally honest and could be potentially triggering to some people

Family is at the centre of this book, the ways they support and hurt you, sometimes at the same time. Jayne and June have a tumultuous relationship, which at the core has a lot of love. I enjoyed seeing the sisters reconnect and seeing Jayne rebuild other relationships (including the one with herself). This is being marketed as a YA book but I would say it’s more New Adult. Jayne is in college, I would say she’s 19-20. I think teens could read it, but this book covers a lot topics like racism, eating disorders, sexual assault, cancer with raw honesty and anguish

The Killing Kind by Jane Casey Review

 

Ingrid is a barrister in London, who's life has turned upside down after defending John Webster in a stalking case. Since he was acquitted, he has turned his attention on her, making her life hell. When her restraining order runs out, Ingrid thinks John is back, especially when a fellow barrister ends up under a lorry. Everyone thinks it was an accident but Ingrid is convinced the victim was pushed. And that she was the intended target.

This book had me gripped from the beginning! It really hooked my attention and reeled me in. The story was intriguing, finding out the backstory of Ingrid defending John Webster and the immediate aftermath of the trial. As the current storyline unwinds, the sense of fear and paranoia Ingrid feels is so palpable. You have no idea who to trust or how much is Ingrid's imagination running wild. Especially when Ingrid interacts with John Webster. There's plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested as everything ramps up. One storyline seems a bit rushed at the end, but it didn't take away from the overall storyline. Fans of Casey's Maeve Kerrigan series will enjoy this stand alone novel. It's a multilayered, well paced thriller that I read in under 24 hours as I didn't want to put it down!

I received this ebook free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am not required to post a review on here and all thoughts are my own